When life brings you down.. You're in best position to pray! :)

Guilty of not concentrating in salah?

Scenario : Alhumdulillah, you are in the habit of praying 5 times a day, and you just love to stand in prayer, but by the end of every salah you are guilty of not maintaining concentration in it. Your prayer time is the time to connect with the Almighty but instead it becomes the time when you plan your day, or think about who said what and why you told them what you did, or you remind yourself about the pic to be uploaded on fb or articles to be posted on your blog. Guilty! Guilty! Guilty!

Well, if even you are guilty of ending your namaz in the same manner, like me (Astaghfirullah), here are a few tips from Salah 101 blog, on how to develop concentration in Salah!

May Allah help us in our intention of perfecting our Salah and make it a source for us to get closer to Him and seek His pleasure. Ameen.

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What is Khushuu’?

Khushuu’ during Salaat is misunderstood by some people as crying and weeping. Rather, it is the presence of the heart during an act of ‘ibadah. When a person’s heart is fully occupied of what he says or hears, he is in a true state of khushuu’. The concept of Khushuu’ in Salaat is very essential.

1- It is a vital factor in making a person successful in this life and in later life. “Indeed, the believers, who have khushuu’ in their Salaat, are the winners.”
قد أفلح المؤمنون الذين هم في صلاتهم خاشعون

2-It is a contributing factor for the acceptance of Salaat.

3- It is a way to gain more rewards from the Almighty Allah; the more the khushuu’ a person has, the more rewards he gets.

4- Without Khushuu’ the heart cannot easily be purified.

Ways to Gain Khushuu’

A. Pre-Salaat

1- A Muslim should know his Lord very well. Knowing whom one worships makes a person a better worshipper. Having clear and authentic knowledge about Allah increases His love in our hearts. Consequently, faith also increases.

2- Avoiding major and minor sins is very helpful in gaining Khushuu’, as the heart becomes more receptive to the words of Allah during and after Salaat.

3- Reciting the Qur’an frequently and consistently softens the hearts and prepares it for Khushuu’. Hard hearts do not gain Khushuu’.

4- Minimize attachment to worldly matters. Gearing one’s intentions towards the Afterlife helps against the temptations of life.

5- Avoid excessive laughter and useless arguments as they harden the heart and lead to heedlessness.

6- Stop working as soon as you hear the Azaan. When you listen attentively to the call of Salaat repeat after the muˆz-zin then offer the relevant supplication. This prepares you for a smooth transition from the business with worldly matters to the business with Salaat.

7- Performing wuduuˆ immediately after hearing the Azaan prepares you for the pending Salsat. Wuduuˆ also works as a buffer zone before engaging in Salaat.

8- Going to the mosque early for praying and continuing mention of Allah drives Satan away and help gain concentration.

9- The waiting time for the congregational Salaat helps create a buffer zone between the state of mind before Salaat and the state of during Salaat.

B. During Salaat

1- The Iqaamah itself is a final signal to the mind to be well prepared for performing the actual Salaat. Remember what the messenger of Allah said to Bilal (ra) “Let us enjoy the comfort of the Salaat.”

2- When you stand facing the Qiblah remember the following:

a. It might be the last Salaat in your life. There is no guarantee to live longer to catch the next Salaat.
b. You are standing between the hands of Allah, the Lord of the worlds. How can you be busy with something else?
c. The angel of death is chasing you.

3- Do not forget to make isti’azah. It wards off Satan’s whispers.

4- Keep your eyes focused on the place of sujuud. This helps you gain more concentration.

5- When reciting the Fatiha, try to recall the response of Allah to you after every ayah you say. (When you say: ”al-hamdu lillahi rab-bil ‘alamin) Allah responds: “My servant praised me.” etc. This feeling of speaking to Allah puts you in the right mood of khushuu’.

6- Beautifying the recitation of the Qur’an has a positive impact on the heart.

7- Recite the Qur’an slowly and reflect upon its meaning deeply.

8- It is recommended to change the suras that your recite from time to time to avoid the mechanic-like state of repetition.

9- Alternate between the various authentic sunan such as proclaiming a different opening supplication in every Salaat.

a. if you hear an ayah about Allah, glorify Him by saying “Subhaana Allah”;
b. If you hear an ayah about Hellfire, say “a’uuthu billaahi mina-n-naar”.
c. If you hear a command to make istighfaar, do it.
d. If you hear an ayah that requests tasbiih, make tasbiih.

12- These forms of interactions are very helpful in keeping you focused.

13- When you prostrate, remember that this position brings you closer to Allah. Seize the opportunity to make sincere du’aaˆ. Invest these moments in making sincere supplications.

C- Post-Salaat

a. When you make tasliim, make istighfaar to Allah as you might have made during Salaat.
b. When you praise Allah, thank Him from the bottom of your heart that you have experienced the beauty of Salaat in your heart. Getting used to this habit prepares your for the next Salaat, as you will always be eager to focus in your prayer.
c. One perfection leads to another perfection. If some one perfects his Salaat once, he would be self-motivated to continue on the same level.

i am not able to concentrate in salah ; negative thoughts always haunt my mind and heart so much so i scare to offer from offering Salah in normal days other than the month of Ramzan . I feel guilty i get thoughts as bad as which a cannot be expressed . Plz give me the tips to get rid of it.

Firstly I apologize for the late reply.
Secondly, I think I know what you mean because I have been through somewhat same thing a few years back. Sis, these thoughts are from the shaytan.. he does not want you to pray so he’s troubling you with these thoughts..! So here’s what you can do, inshaAllah it should help!
–>Seek refuge in Allah from shaytan’s whisperings when these thoughts cross your mind by saying ” aoodu billa hi minash shaytaan nirrajeem”. You can can say this in the middle of the prayer too, there is absolutely no prob in that.[I am unable to find the hadith related to this as of now!]
–>Get yourself familiarized with the meaning and tafseer of surahs that u read in salah. So, you are able to concentrate better if you know what you are reciting and can retain your focus in the message rather than anything else.
–>Make loads of dua and DONT give up! Shaytan wants to lead u astray and its all his dirty plan.. Keep trying, seek Allah’s help and inshaAllah, these toughts will soon wither away..!
Remember Allah says .. “The Prophet said, “Allah says: ‘I am just as My slave thinks I
am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for
him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in
himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in
a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than
they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit
nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a
distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes
to Me walking, I go to him running” [Sahih Bukhari]

So if you put in the effort Allah will see that u are struggling for His sake n pleasure and not only will He soon make it easy for you but also reward you for the struggle, inshaAllah! May Allah make protect you from any negative thoughts that hinder you to pray salah and make it easy for you. and May He make the salah the coolness of all our eyes! Ameen!

Thank you for this comment! “The Prophet said, “Allah says: ‘I am just as My slave thinks I
am, (i.e. I am able to do for him what he thinks I can do for
him) and I am with him if He remembers Me. If he remembers Me in
himself, I too, remember him in Myself; and if he remembers Me in
a group of people, I remember him in a group that is better than
they; and if he comes one span nearer to Me, I go one cubit
nearer to him; and if he comes one cubit nearer to Me, I go a
distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him; and if he comes
to Me walking, I go to him running” [Sahih Bukhari]
That is truly very beautiful, and it gives me so much hope inside. May Allah reward you for sharing that information that was unknown to me, for reading it has made me feel very good inside.

Salah can be considered as a priceless gift from Allah. It enables us to put forward all our needs in front of Allah and request whatever we need from Him.
Though Salah is a blessing which cannot be given a value, yet many Muslims still tend to neglect it. If your are interested in learning more about how to concentrate on your prayer read this: http://maestrouzy.com/10-tips-to-keep-your-concentration-on-salah/

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